Maisie's List

This book was amazing. Kinda like “PS I Love You”. It was sweet with a sad edge to it. You will fall in love with the main family and wish them only the best.

A male character who is the focus and a widower! He is raising his kids and working and barely functioning at that and bam he gets a package! His late wife Maisie wants to direct him to finding her replacement!

The author does a fantastic job of keeping this a memorable journey not to heavy on the maudlin side, but on a more lighthearted aspect of Peter getting to know some of the people his wife knew. It’s interesting that the author has included the kids in the process because it kept it more realistic and interesting.

I found that I couldn’t put the book down because I was anxious to see what type of women his wife had chosen him to date to get him out of his comfort zone and back into the world.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Peter Hunter is a 37 year old veterinarian who is still recovering from the death of his wife. His children Logan and Lacie are good kids but being a single dad is difficult. His wife Maisie left some letters for Peter with Caroline, his office manager, urging him to start dating again. There is humor here, so it isn't maudlin and the characters are likeable.

As I wasn't previously familiar with the author, Maisie's List was a total surprise to me a very good way. It was a heartfelt and hopeful romance but at the same time there was a bittersweet element running under the main narrative that was spot on and gave it enough gravity and angst to keep me fully engaged in the story. The basic plot is that Peter, a harried single dad veterinarian of two kids, is trying to keep a whole lot of balls in the air after the death of his beloved wife. Prior to her death, she was a fully involved stay-at-home mom, who also helped out at his clinic, but now he finds himself with the entire weight of his grief, his business, and the emotional and practical needs of his 12 YO son and 6 YO daughter, resting on his shoulders. When the book opens, his office mgr, Caroline, hands him a manila envelope with a note and 4 sealed letters inside. It's from his wife, Maisie, who gave it to Caroline with the instructions "Give this to Peter when he's ready". Each letter is a suggestion of a woman that Peter should get to know better. He's initially appalled, as he absolutely does not feel ready to date, and of course feels no one could ever replace Maisie, but since the suggestion came from her, he reluctantly decides to open the first letter and see where (and to whom) it takes him.

What follows is Peter's realistic, honest, sweet, and earnest exploration of moving on, trying to figure out what's best both for himself and for his family, and the rebirth of feelings that he honestly thought he'd never feel again. In addition, as he meets and gets to know the women that Maisie suggested for him, he also gets more insight into the life she led outside of the roles of wife and mother that he tended to see her in. I loved how Peter didn't jump wholeheartedly into dating, he went forward in fits and starts, often having to push himself outside of his comfort zone, but at the same time almost compelled to move forward. He also always considered his kids' feelings knowing that they were an integral part of the process. Finally, I loved that each woman that Peter dated wasn't just a cipher with no purpose outside of the dating plot. The author didn't give us any POV other than his, yet she skillfully showed that each woman was a person in her own right, with both good and bad qualities, and a life outside of her interactions with Peter. When the inevitable end to the story came (including a lovely and heartfelt HEA), it was both joyous and again bittersweet. I ended the book missing Maisie, but content in knowing that her husband and kids had a wonderful life to look forward to.

Loved this well written book. The story is so good with believable characters that you will fall in love with. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

Maisie's List is a sweet story, with a little humor and a lot of poignancy thrown in. It follows Peter, a widowed veterinarian with two kids, as he tries to fulfill one of his wife's last wishes: to find a woman to love. Maisie has left sealed, numbered envelopes with women she claims might be The One. We get to know Maisie, the wife, through her letters and through "conversations" Peter has with her at night. We also learn about her from the memories her kids and Peter's office manager Caroline share.

The story manages to escape being totally maudlin, though it's pretty obvious how the story will end. There's an attempt at dramatic conflict (involving Caroline's boyfriend) that falls short for me, so the story ended up being mostly a slow, rated G journey.

One thing that stood out to me was that the entire story (told in the third person) is entirely from Peter's perspective. I'm not sure if I've ever read a romance that doesn't come either entirely or at least partially from the heroine's point of view. Perhaps the author wanted to avoid giving away The One? As I said earlier, it's pretty obvious how the story will turn out, so maybe hearing from the heroine would have added some depth.

Finally, I'm not entirely sure that Peter won me over. He seemed a little chauvinistic, though to his credit, he also seemed to recognize that flaw and demonstrated a willingness to change. Overall, the story seemed to cling a little too much to stereotypical gender roles for my preferences.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a sweet read. At first glance of the book i did not imediately like Peter. But when i came to know why, and he showed differetn sides i really liked him. Plus Lacie and Logan was so cute! I liked that the author took alot of time to show us the daiting, that it wasn`t rushed and Peter thought alot about it, his familiy and his own feelings. Plus ofcourse i was roothing for the obvious couple all the way and the ending was sort of perfect.

Single dad Peter Hunter never thought he’d be alone raising his son and daughter. It’s been fifteen months since Maisie died of cancer, yet it seems like yesterday. His days consist of running his vet clinic and keeping his children taken care of. His nights are restless and lonely, missing Maisie so much, he wishes his heart would just stop beating. When he discovers a package from Maisie on his desk, he doesn’t know what to make of it. Maisie has chosen a few candidates to be his next wife. Is she crazy? Maybe he’s crazy to go along with her ‘list’… or maybe this is exactly what he and the children need to move on. Forced to date again, Peter wonders whether Maisie’s plan will work or not until he connects with the one woman who’s been there for him and the children all along. Is it fate or possibly Maisie sending her blessing?

Maisie’s List is a captivating single dad romance with just the right amount of angst. What an original premise and Beth Warstadt pulls it off with funny dialogue, awkward moments, and sweet romance. There are plenty of serious topics addressed like grief, moving on, dating, parenting, blended families, and more. I applaud Beth Warstadt for dealing with these themes the right way, so they don’t overshadow the rest of the plot. If you’re like me and love Hallmark Channel’s heartfelt movies, you’ll want to read Maisie’s List. Highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I'd review it.

My Rating: 5 stars

This is both a heart wrenching and heart warming read told totally in Peter’s POV. Peter is a young widower who has spent the last year mourning the death of his wife and mother of his children. At the urging of his late wife in the form of some letters, Peter is entering the dating world again. There is some laughter especially in the scenes with the children. There are some commiserating moments when Peter awkwardly starts dating. There are some poignant moments when he converses with his wife, Maisie. I would have liked a little more passion especially with his love interest. The dramatic moments with the angry boyfriend felt a little stilted but overall I liked this story.

This was cute. I was always hoping for more but I didn’t hate it. I liked the characters and the story line